Jack William Bell @jackwilliambell@rustedneuron.com

C11 <threads.h> emulation library. https://gist.github.com/yohhoy/2223710

Lets you use <threads.h> when you don't have a C11 environment. Appears to be Windows-only right now, but could serve as the basis of something more generally useful.

#relevanttomyinterests #programming #C

10 things #Japan gets awesomely right. https://soranews24.com/2013/11/09/10-things-japan-gets-awesome-right/

10 things Japan gets horribly wrong. https://soranews24.com/2013/11/06/10-things-japan-gets-horribly-wrong/

I also changed a headlight on my Jeep Liberty. And the engineer who put the fusebox three inches from the back of the headlight and rising to above the sharp edge of a brace should be consigned to a hell of eternally changing driver-side headlights on Jeep Liberties.

At this point I don't think anyone gets to complain about how bad software is written until we start seeing hardware designed to last and/or be easily maintained.

It's all bad, and for the same reasons.

Spent much of the day fixing the wiring on my cargo trailer. A job made at least ten times harder than it should have been due to an engineering decision clearly driven by a desire to save ten cents per unit. (That engineering decision was also the point of and cause of the failure.)

So I re-engineered it and next time what took me four hours will take thirty minutes. Plus it probably won't fail in the same place.

#RuralLife

'Engine Summer' is one of those rare books that can actually make me cry; in fact I cried every time I re-read it. (Five, six times now?)

The tears come on the last page, when the main character manages to achieve and forever lose his greatest desire at the same time.

It really is an amazing, timeless novel. If you look for it in used book stores, know that some stores stock John Crowley on the SFF shelves and some stick him in 'Literature'. Both are valid.

It rained all last night and the ground is soaked. Forecast is more rain on and off today, drier tomorrow, and then more rain.

If this is a typical September, it will clear up next week and then we'll get two weeks of Indian Summer.

And when I think of Indian Summer I always think of one of my favorite lost SF classics: John Crowley's 'Engine Summer'. (Hard to find a copy nowadays.)

https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Summer-John-Crowley/dp/0553233602

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_Summer

RT https://twitter.com/chaoswolf1982 Okay so this Friday...

...is a Friday the 13th.
.
..has a full moon.

AND

...will be the 50th anniversary of Scooby Doo.

Some funky shit is gonna go down, y'all, I'm sure of it...

Anyone have any experience with Qubes-OS? https://www.qubes-os.org/

This is pretty close to an idea I had a couple of years ago. Close enough I'm wondering if it is worth some time to install and figure it out? (I've become very gun-shy about certain kinds of timesinks.)

#relevanttomyinterests #OpenSource #OS

Another #Anime brand-bend: Star Bacchus Coffee.

"A Grande hazelnut vanilla almond caramel extra whip caramel sauce rhumba chip chocolate cream Foamaccino with an extra shot."

Mx Burger. (More weird brand-bending from #Anime.)

Note the clown's Asian features and the bat-makeup for the mouth.

Previously: https://rustedneuron.com/web/statuses/102104170135121638

Retirement update: Just finished taking care of health insurance for the near future. For me electing COBRA benefits for the next 18 months was cheaper than other options. (YMMV)

Also means I don't have to change my doctor. A minor but not unimportant factor.

Shell Scripting - Best Practices. http://fahdshariff.blogspot.com/2013/10/shell-scripting-best-practices.html

#programming #relevanttomyinterests

Elizabeth Warren Wants To Give Social Security Beneficiaries A Raise. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-plan-social-security-benefits-2020-democratic-presidential-primary_n_5d79b854e4b06028fd37070c

Speaking as someone about to start receiving SSA benefits: I'm all for this!

(Mind you, I'm also for taxing the rich. So Warren has me there too.)

Why Angry Librarians Are Going to War With Publishers Over E-Books. https://slate.com/business/2019/09/e-book-library-publisher-buying-controversy-petition.html

"The licensing model for libraries and e-books itself is complex and difficult to explain to outsiders. 'It’s too much detail and also takes you out of your mind,' said the ALA’s Inouye. 'It’s like, ‘First of all, it sounds crazy, and then it sounds egregious. Sixty dollars to have one copy for two years? You must be wrong. That can’t be right. The consumer pays like $14 for an e-book."

#publishing

Finished the Social Security paperwork and changed my Linked-In profile to 'retired'. I guess it's official now.

This is my second week as a retired person and it still doesn't seem quite real. It's not like I've been less busy.